There may be various reasons behind Unai Emery's impending return to the Premier League as he prepares to step back into the cauldron of English football.
The Spaniard looks poised to be announced as Newcastle's new manager later this week and the first appointment of the club's new Saudi-backed era.
Steve Bruce's exit has paved the way for the ex-Arsenal manager to return to UK shores, though there would be good reason for the sceptics to question his motives.
Newcastle's oil-rich new owners will no doubt have a lucrative offer on the table for the 49-year-old, who will cut short his spell at Villarreal less than six months after leading them to Europa League success.
Yet whilst the chance to line his pockets is evident, few can deny Emery has always been yearning for a fanbase which has football at its beating heart.
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Having felt aggrieved by his sacking at Arsenal just 18 months into his tenure, Emery made no secret that he would one day be open to another stint in the most competitive of Europe's big five leagues.
Speaking to The Guardian in April last year, he said: “The desire and energy is there. I’m watching football, learning.
"And if there’s a good project in England, if someone wants me and is prepared to get behind me, I’m available… In England that identification with your team brings the game alive.
"It’s deeper there, like a church. I was born in San Sebastian and my team is Real Sociedad. That feeling is in my heart and that’s what you find in England. It’s marvellous, the loveliest thing there is.”
He'd struggle to find a more passionate set of supporters at Newcastle, whose fans have been galvanised by the hope an end to the Mike Ashley-era has sparked.
However, whether he finds that project under a regime whose takeover has so far been cast in a negative light against Saudi Arabia's awful human rights record, coupled with vagueness around the involvement of the nation's Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, remains to be seen.
Few managers would be able to ignore the opportunity on offer at St. James' Park, though, with Emery certain to be handed a significant transfer budget to turn the club's fortunes around.
He revealed previously he was approached with an offer from Everton shortly after his axing by Arsenal but eventually returned to Spain which he felt was in his best interests.
At Villarreal he has enjoyed moderate success, with May's Europa League triumph taking them back into the Champions League despite only finishing seventh in the domestic table.
But building on that feat this term has been a tougher ask.
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Villarreal currently sit 13th in the table, having won just two of their 11 league games so far this season.
He will inherit a considerably weaker side at Newcastle, too, while for all the noises of patience from the face of the new ownership, Amanda Staveley, failure to deliver immediate results will bring certain and unwanted pressure to a man who has so far been (perhaps unfairly) deemed a managerial failure in England.
Should Emery be appointed as expected, he will mark the start of his reign with a tricky trip to Brighton on Saturday evening.
Time will tell if it's the right project for him.
